I was wet, which wasnt surprising since I was in the middle of an ocean. I had no recollection of how I got here. I rembered jumping into a black, swirling void, which probably wasnt the best idea Id ever had.
Admittedly, the alternative was to stay where I was and wait for the spires of Fengarad to blast into pieces.
I rembered telling everyone to jump. Did they? Judging by the vast, empty ocean surrounding , apparently not, although that didnt explain what happened to Jenny, whose hand I had definitely grasped before leaping.
One mont I was hurling myself into the void, the next I was floating on the surface of large swells, white spray slapping in the face.
Im not the greatest of swimrs but I can keep my head above water. In a swimming pool. Ive never been a great fan of the sea as Ive always felt it could quite easily kill . Every ti I opened my mouth to gasp for breath, the sea rushed in. It tasted foul.
I splashed my way around to look in all directions but only saw water and more water. The undulating waves lifted up and down making it hard to see very far for very long. When I was raised up, all I saw were waves and more waves.
There was plenty of light, although no sun to speak of. The sky was a uniform white, but with no shape. I couldnt tell if it was a very even blanket of cloud cover or a painted ceiling.
Was this Nekrol?I had assud the Underworld, the ho of demons, would be full of fire and brimstone. Perhaps Id been hit by the Fengarad weapon and passed onto the afterlife? Forever treading water in an endless ocean sounded like the kind of punishnt a petty God would hand out, and all gods are petty (youre a god, why are you harassing re mortals?).
Or perhaps this was so other world I now had to navigate my way through. Welco to Level 2?
Out of curiosity I manipulated my fingers and created a ball of light. At least magic worked the sa way here. Not that it would prevent from drowning.
I spat the salty water out of my mouth and tried not to use up too much energy. Being rescued by a passing fishing boat didnt seem very likely, but I knew nothing of this world so no point making assumptions.
The thought of fishern did put one idea in my head that I rather wouldnt have swimming around up there, especially not to the the tune from Jaws.
Sharks might not even exist in this world for all I knew, but if this place was of a similar fantasy-bent as the last place, there were probably far more disturbing forms of aquatic life sharing the water with .
I lay on my back and stared up at the whiteness. If a large fin was headed in my direction, what good would it do to see it coming? Not like I could outswim it.
As I lay there, bobbing up and down, thinking about whether it would be better to be eaten alive or just let myself drown, a black dot appeared in the sky.
It rapidly grew bigger, swirling the whiteness around it.
The swirling vortex wasnt directly above and I started swimming towards itmaybe it was a portal out of this place. I stopped when I saw six small objects fall out of the hole. At least, they looked small from where I was. They were, in fact, human-sized because they were people. Or, to be more specific, it was my party. To be even more specific, it was my party including .
I was seeing myself fall. I was far enough away to make details hard to see, but I didnt need to be able to see faces to recognise myself and the other five mbers of my group.
It was an odd sensation to see myself from a distance. It was definitely with Jenny falling beside and the others just behind.
What I was seeing was what I would expect to have happened after I jumped, but why was I seeing it now? If I had gained a new ability that enabled to see things from my past, I would say that was a particularly crappy power. Most people can do thatits called a mory. Admittedly, not many people get to see their mories acted out in front of them, but then most people dont need it because they rember it happening.
The strange thing was, it didnt feel like I was watching a recording, I felt like I was watching it really happen. Only, for so reason, there were two of .
You might expect soone in my position to be all confused and take a fair amount of head-scratching to figure out what was going on, but thats only if the person had never seen an episode of Star Trek or any number of crappy sci-fi shows.
I was seeing us fall through the vortex that had appeared in Chengs castle. I was seeing it from a perspective that should have been impossible.
Uncle Pete had ntioned how the weapon in the spires displaced people. He didnt say it split them into two. Or that it put one of them forward in ti.
If it was a form of ti travel, then that raised a number of questions. And if youre familiar with ti travel from tv shows and movies, youll know those questions all have stupid answers that make very little sense.
No one actually understands how ti works, so the explanation is always convoluted bullshit. Quazak particles and geodesic paradox waves? Please go fuck yourself.
I hate ti travel. Hate, hate, hate it. Worst trope in sci-fi.
The Starship Enterprise explodes right at the beginning of the episode and what do you think? Oh no, theyll have to cancel the show No. You imdiately know its going to be so kind of ti-loop. Which ans nothing matters.
Whatever happens can be undone. Major characters can die, and then co back to life when the loop is reset. The whole thing is just pointless.
Even worse is when the ti traveller forgets to use his ability. If Dr Who fails, he can just get in his ti machine, go back and try again. If one of his friends dies, go back and save them. Spill so coffee on your white coat? Go back and dont spill it. The savings on dry cleaning alone would make it worthwhile.
In my case, however, if being able to see things from a different point in ti gave an advantage, I was all for abusing the hell out of it. About ti I got so kind of OP ability. I just needed to figure out how to use it to my advantage.
As I watched myselfthe other onefall, I started swimming towards . This beca increasingly difficult as the wind had picked up and the water had beco more choppy.
The swirling hole created a funnel of air which was spinning my party like Dorothy and Toto. The water surged upwards in a spout. The mountainside of water presented an insurmountable slope for . I slid back, was dragged under, enveloped and twisted, then propelled back to the surface. I managed a single, desperate breath of air before being swallowed again.
I was caught in a whirlpool, spinning out of control, unable to tell which way was up. I kicked and clawed at the wall of water, my chest burning.
I broke the surface, thrashing to stay on top of the black swells, expecting to be forced under again. A monstrous rolling wave decided to send in the other direction. I rose high on its foam crest, away from the twister.
The last I saw of my party were them dropping out of sight on the other side of Mount H2O. And then the water was flat again.
It all disappeared in an instance. The mountainous wave, the tornado above it, the black hole in the sky. One mont they were there, next they werent. The sounds, the buffetting waves, the wild winds, all gone.
And the wave whose crest I was riding was also gone. I hung in mid-air for a mont, able to see far into the distance, able to see no signs of any other person, and then I plumtted.
The water rushed to envelop once more as I crashed through the surface, the impact painful on my feet and legs.
I travelled down into the depths, to where the light didnt reach and only darkness surrounded . I kicked and clawed again until finally my head pushed clear of the water, breath heaving from my lungs in convulsive gasps and I sucked down air in a howling gasp.
Once I cald down and got my breathing under control, I threw up. That much salt water combined with being tossed around didnt make for a settled tummy.
There wasnt any food in my stomach so mostly it was retching and coughing. My eyes were full of tears, my throat was on fire and I had no strength left. I didnt know where I was, just that I was alone. I didnt know where the others were, except that they werent here.
Maybe it wasnt ti travel. Maybe I had been pushed into a different dinsion, or at least part of had, and I was just an observer. The others would carry on with their adventures with the real , and this- would be stuck on his own in the Twilight Zone.
My options were fairly limited. I could swim in the direction Id seen the others fall and hope sohow they were there, waiting for , or I could just wait to die. Option two seed like it would take less effort, which is always a big plus in my book.
Even if I knew the correct direction to swim in, I didnt think the others would be in the water. The way the vortex had popped out of existence had felt like a door closing. They were gone.
What I really needed was a friendly rmaid to give a hand. Take to a tropical island where Id train a monkey to be my butler and Id build a car with waterlons for wheels.
I could try to summon a fish to help , but I was just as likely as to call a passing halibut, and I wasnt sure how much help that would be. Mind you, it would be sothing to eat, although if the fish scread like they did in Flatland, then eating it alive would be a traumatising experience for us both.
Of course, what I summoned wouldnt necessarily be harmless. But then, at least if I called the nearest predator to co get , it would all be over fairly quickly.
Previously, when I used my fish-calling ability, I was happy for it to work on anything in the water. I never tried to summon a specific type of fish. What if I tried to call for a helpful fish?
The concept of helpful fish is probably not that common outside of a Disney movie, but dolphins have been known to help people so if I could contact one
It wasnt like I had anything else to do, so I cleared my mind, took a deep breath and let myself sink under the surface.
There was no sign of life under the water. The depths below receded into darkness and nothing swam around within my vision. I made a ball of light and tried to send it down, but it kept trying to rise to the surface. It didnt illuminate anything so I let it go up.
If there was sothing down there, I would have to just hope it wasnt hungry. I made the finger movents to attract fish and tried my hardest to project a desire for help.
I fully expected it to work and call forth a leviathan of the sea to devour whole. Maybe a giant squid.
After what was probably thirty seconds I had the sudden urge to breathe and swam back to the surface. Once I gulped down so air, I stuck my face back into brine and blinked through my stinging eyeballs.
Nothing had changed. The murk was still just as murky and nothing moved. Perhaps this sea held no life. A big tub of water for to float around in until I grew too tired.
I dived back under and rather than letting myself drift downwards, I swam into the depths. No sound, no light. I repeated the hand signals and tried to send out a request for help. I wasnt sure how to word it and the thought crystallised into, Hello? Anyone there?
The movent in the dark below was hard to distinguish at first; black on black. I made a ball of light and did my best to keep it close to .
The glistening eyes were the first things to take shape. Lots of eyes. I counted eight each the size of a beachball dotted along the rim of an enormous circular head, and then the claw-like mandibles around the eyes took most of my attention.
I decided to swim back to the surface. Quickly. Not that I would be any safer but at least my lungs wouldnt burst before the rest of
My head broke the surface and I drew several breaths, waiting for the inevitable clamping of jaws or whatever around my lower parts.
Nothing happened.
Out of curiosity, I put my face back in the water.
The creature was floating below , just hanging there. It had a long body that stretched back into the darkness. It had a hard, rigid body, segnted like a lobster or crab, but no legs as far as I could see. There was the suggestion of tentacles, but the water was too dark that far down to see clearly.
Im no filthy weeaboo, but Ive seen enough tentacle hentai to be wary of monsters with ophidian limbs. I kept my distance.
It seed to be staring at , although with eight eyes it probably always seed to be staring at sothing. It didnt look like it was going to eat , not right away at least. What did it want?
Sssstrange thing to ask. You called .
The words appeared in my head, the sound like sothing you might expect to co out of the crack of a slightly open coffin lid. A chill ran through .
Hello? I thought back. If it was capable of telepathic communication and the translator worked here, then I felt I should at least be polite. Good manners cost nothing. My nas Colin.
Greetingsss, Colin. I am Wyndam. Did you want sssothing?
Yes, I thought. Could you tell where I am?
Youre in the water.
I dont think he ant to be a smart-arse, he was just being literal.
Is there any land nearby?
Dependsss what you an by nearby.
How long would it take to swim there?
Dependsss how fast you can ssswim.
It was a reasonably amiable conversation, but it wasnt getting anywhere.
Could you give a ride?
I dont think ssso. Im very busy.
The water shook as a blast of sound rose from the depths. It was like a muted trumpet played right next to your ear. It had a weird lodic quality to it.
What was that? I asked.
Uhhhh, thought Wyndam. Thats my wife mating call. I have to go before she findsss .
Oh, do you not get on?
You know how it isss. You get tired of the sssa old sssong eventually. Nobodysss fault.
He sounded quite depressed about it.
You sing songs? I know so songs I could teach you.
I dont thinks ssso. I know all the sssongsss already. I love sssinging.
Have you heard this one? I sang, or rather thought-sang, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
Unlike Flossie, I dont have a very good mory for song lyrics. I can sing along when its on the radio, but if I try it cold with no assist, my mind suddenly goes blank. Nursery rhys, however, are very easy to recall.
I finished the song and waited for a response. There wasnt one. I tried to think of sothing a bit more catchy.
Ive Ive never heard anything like it. He sounded stunned.
Why dont you try singing it? I suggested.
I couldnt. I an, its your sssong
I dont mind. Go ahead.
Wyndam sang. It wasnt exactly the sa as my version, but it was close, sort of. The water around us reverberated with the sound coming out of his beak-like mouth. Even though the words were being transmitted into my mind, the song was also being sung physically.
It was a deep and sonorous rendition that Im sure Mozart would have been very pleased with. I an, obviously he would shit himself, but the artist in him would appreciate the interpretation.
Thank you. I enjoyed that.
No problem. Feel free to sing it anyti you want.
You dont mind? Ive never heard of anyone willing to give away one of their sssongsss.
You can have it.
Really? Youd give it to ?
All yours. I have plenty more. Perhaps youd like to hear them? In exchange for a lift to the nearest land mass? Is it a deal? Only well have to stay on the surface.
Oh, youre one of those mouth-breathersss? I never thought your kind really existed. Live and learn.
Wyndam rose to the surface and his true size beca apparent. He could easily have been mistaken for a small island. I clambered onto his back. The carapace was hard and shell-like. Once I was on board, I felt much better, glad to be out of the water.
Better, that is, until we started to move. The tentacles stretching out behind us pulsed and we shot forward at ridiculous speed. Water crashed over , threatening to wash overboard, and I grabbed sothing which I hoped wasnt too personal and held on for dear life.
The good thing about telepathy is that the deafening roar of the water being pushed aside didnt make it any harder to communicate. I entertained Wyndam with a number of nursery rhys, each a startling discovery for the leviathan.
It took several hours and just about every childrens ditty I could think of before I sighted land. A beach, uninhabited as far as I could tell, that led to hills beyond which I couldnt see. I did ask Wyndam a number of questions about what I might find on the land, but he didnt seem to know or care.
Having given permission to Wyndam to use the songs I taught him as though they were his ownhe was amazed I would give away such precious ballads as Row Row Row Your Boat and London Bridge Is Falling DownI swam to shore and found myself back on dry land.
When I turned around I saw a solitary tentacle wave from far out at sea.
I stripped off my clothes, which were soaked, and lay down on the sandy beach. The sky was still white, and there was no sun as far as I could tell, but there was a warmth emanating from sowhere that dried out and did the sa for my clothing.
I didnt have any weapons and once again I was without a spoon. I made a ntal note to put the next spoon on a chain and wear it round my neck.
After about ten minutes of lying there, immobile, I sat up and looked around. I would have to find sothing to eat.
I stood up and looked out to sea. I assud the others were not out there and there was no point waiting for them. And even if they were out there, there was no guarantee they would end up here.
They were on their own and so was I, but I still felt like leaving them a ssage, just in case. I found so twigs and stones lying about and ford them into an arrow pointing in the direction I planned to take.
As I walked over the hills that bordered the beach, ahead of there was a vast grassy plain. There were no buildings and few trees, but I did stumble across a track. It was clearly made by so kind of vehicle, the two parallel ruts suggesting wheels, but whether that ant people or beasts or sothing with wheels for legs, it was impossible to tell.
I was used to travelling along endless roads, not knowing where they were leading . I chose a direction at random and set off. The biggest piece of wood I could find was a rotten branch about the length of my arm. Not the deadliest of weapons, but it was better than nothing.
I kept an eye out for signs of life but saw nothing. Not just a lack of people, but also birds and animals. There was an empty, barren feel to the place which was a bit depressing. On the plus side, fewer critters ant fewer things trying to kill .
Still, I was getting quite hungry and even so berries would have been nice.
My first sight of sothing other than grass was a hut I spotted after about an hour of walking. Even from a distance, its square shape gave away that it was a constructed building of so kind. I felt both apprehensive and relieved.
If this was Nekrol, the Underworld Uncle Pete was so scared of, chances were the inhabitants were not going to be pleased to see . But there was no reason to believe Peter. He could be wrong and this place could be full of wonderful, warm people full of hospitality.
On the off-chance this wasnt the case, I approached the building in a crouch, staying low in the long grass.
The hut wasnt very sophisticated in its construction, no more than a shack really. There was a door and windows on the side. There was no activity, but voices drifted out of an open window.
I crawled on all fours until I was under the window and listened.
Dont be so upset, said a female voice. These things happen. Sotis the one you think youre ant to be with isnt the one. and your father, we were lucky. We knew right away. We both felt the sa, we wanted the sa things.
I know but The speaker sounded like a teenage boy.
No, no buts. If she isnt willing, then thats an end to it. You cant force soone to have feelings for you. I know it hurts but it wont forever.
But I love her, the boy insisted.
And she dont love you. End of story. Understand?
There was a noise that sounded like a reluctant acceptance. It was a surprisingly normal conversation between a mother and her son, or so it seed. I hadnt actually seen the speakers, so they could turn out to be hideous demons. But demons with normal family issues.
Now then, said the female voice, what you need to do is take your knife and find Jerala before she can tell anyone she broke it off with you. You may not belong together, but thats no reason for everyone else to know. Kill her quick and hide the body in the old gorge.
So much for normal family problems. These people were monsters, whatever they looked like.
What you doing? said a voice behind .
I turned to find a small child, human in every way as far as I could tell, staring at .
Oh, hey, I said, trying to sound friendly and unthreatening.
The kid just stared at . He was wearing a sleeveless leather jerkin making him look like a tiny hard man. His hair was shaved, giving him a big, round Charlie Brown head. He couldnt have been more than four or five. He reminded of Attica.
My nas Colin. Whats your na?
Get away from him! the womans voice screeched from behind .
I stood up and turned around. The woman was leaning out of the window with a large cleaver in her hand. She had a gaunt, stretched face, but looked like a normal human female.
Who are you? What do you want?
Nothing, I said. Im lost. Really, I dont know where I am. I dont an you any harm.
She eyed suspiciously. How long were you out here? What did you hear?
Nothing. I didnt hear anything. It didnt sound very convincing.
A teenage boy ca running around the side of the shack carrying an axe. Normally, I might try to convince them to help , but having heard their conversation, I didnt think there was much point. Better to get out of there as quickly as possible.
Dont let him get away, said the woman.
The teenage boy shifted the axe to an upright position and approached .
I raised my hands and let off a bright white light, blinding both him and the woman. I turned to run and was t by an intense pain in my midriff.
The small boy had stabbed with a dagger. I felt it go in cold and then a burst of heat filled my body and my senses.
The kid had his jerkin open and the inside was lined with knives of various sizes.
My legs crumbled under and I fell to my knees. Another blade sliced into my heart. The pain was excruciating. I couldnt breathe. My vision narrowed to a thin corridor, then to a point.
The kid drew another dagger and stabbed again, but I didnt feel it.
I always thought death wouldnt be that big a deal for . Like going to sleep, you lose consciousness and its over. Sure, the manner of death was a concern, but the actual ending of life was sothing that was going to happen whether you liked it or not. Freaking out about it wouldnt make a difference.
I was wrong. It was terrifying. The darkness wasnt just closing in, it was coming for . I wanted to scream but I had no voice. I wanted to run but I couldnt move. From the edges of my mind ca laughter. My own madness? Soone waiting for ?
Absolute blackness enveloped .
There was a roaring sound. Then a rush of air. A warmth squeezed my hand. I opened my eyes.
Below was a rapidly approaching ocean. I looked to the side. Jenny was beside , her hand in mine. Over my shoulder, I saw the others looking terrified.
I was falling, but I was alive.
I love ti travel. Love, love, love it.
Author's Note: Welco to Book 5. Schedule is three days a week, Mon-Wed-Fri.
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